I am a total newbie to Calibre and to sites such as this one, is there a simple way in Calibre I can mark a book as already read, I have looked at some previous posts some of which refer to Prefixes but I don`t seem able to locate this within the preferences section.

Sorrty for taking up time with what is probably a basic item but I have spent a fair bit of time already on this and am not getting anywhere.

Hello
I am a total newbie to Calibre and to sites such as this one, is there a simple way in Calibre I can mark a book as already read, I have looked at some previous posts some of which refer to Prefixes but I don`t seem able to locate this within the preferences section.
Sorrty for taking up time with what is probably a basic item but I have spent a fair bit of time already on this and am not getting anywhere.
Thank You
SK

Hello scousekevin,

It’s easy to create a custom column to keep track of the books you’ve read. An added benefit of a custom column is that when you create a book catalog (a neat feature of calibre), the books you’ve marked as “Read” are clearly indicated in the catalog.

To create a custom column, click:
Preferences
Add your own columns
On the next screen click the large green “+” on the right-hand side
On the “Quick create” line click “Yes/No”
On the column heading line replace “Yes/No” with “Read”
Click “OK”
Click the green checkmark “Apply” in the upper left corner
You will be prompted to shutdown calibre and restart

To use the custom column:
Highlight a line for a book you’ve read
Single-click the “Read” column on the highlighted line
Click the small drop-down arrow
Double-click the green checkmark “Y”